Galaxy K Zoom tips&tricks thread.

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thedicemaster

Senior Member
May 10, 2009
1,763
863
for now there's no dedicated Kzoom forum so this will have to do.
I'd like to start a thread where we can discuss ways we can get the most out of our rootless camera phones.
the discussed tips and tricks are for the Galaxy K Zoom, but some can be usable on other devices too.

[Memory card madness] applies to all kitkat devices with memory cards but no root.
kitkat has severely limited the micro SD access we have on our phones, our phone even blocks all workarounds.
here are some tricks to make it usable:

I recommend using FX file explorer with pro plugin, and Samsung's "my files" app to manage files.
set "my files" to show hidden files, and delete the .nomedia file in /Android/data/ on your memory card
in FX create a new .nomedia file in /Android/data/nextapp.fx/files on your sdcard which you can copy to data folders if you ever find game resources in your gallery app, or app/game sounds among your music.(you need to use "my files" to copy it)
now create a new folder on your sdcard /Android/data/nextapp.fx/SDfiles and create a bookmark/shortcut to this in both file managers, this will be your personal folder which you can use for movies, music, wallpapers, etc.
if there are any images, videos, or music files that don't show up in the media apps you can use the rescan media button on this folder in FX.
in "my files" you should also bookmark /Android/data so you can easily find sdcard folders specific apps have access to.

if you want to sync or edit files with an app you'll need to go through a few steps.
use the apps view in FX to find the internal name of the app that needs access to the file/folder, this is usually something like this: com.developername.appname
use "my files" to locate(or if necessary, create) a folder with that name on your sdcard at /Android/data
now use "my files" to move any files you need to access with the app to that folder, and tell the app to look there for files.(this is not needed if the app uses the media database)
using this method I got dropsync to sync my music to my memorycard, and let gameboid run and save gba games on my memorycard.

edit: a little warning, if you move an app to the sdcard it no longer has access to it's own sdcard data folder anymore.

[tripod? nopod!] applies to all phones(except S4 zoom)
you may have noticed the Kzoom has a very sleek design for a camera phone.
this is nice for a phone, but leaves little space for a tripod mount.

luckily there's a universal solution: smartphone tripod mounts.
several sites, sell carkit-like phone holders that have a tripod mount.
using one of these you can still use a tripod with your Kzoom, although most of these holders will block the flash or part of the screen.
I use the iStabilizer Mount XL.
it's a perfect fit, and it's open at the center so you can still make use of the flash.

[screen on, screen off] applies to all samsung phones
samsung makes a lot of assumptions.
like "if you plug something in, you must want the screen on"
but you shouldn't just assume.
if I plug in my headset i'll use my pebble or headset button to start the music, and I don't want to pull my phone out of my pocket for this.
using tasker I created a set of profiles that let you disable several automatic wakes.
unfortunately I can't prevent the wake, but these profiles will put your phone asleep the moment the screen turns on without your consent.
the profiles include:
Autowake blocker core - the part that does the blocking, don't disable this unless you want to disable the entire Autowake blocker.
Autowake Headset - when enabled, this will prevent your phone from waking up when you plug in a headset. great for when you use a headset with buttons to listen to music a lot.
Autowake Battery full - when enabled, this will prevent the "battery full, unplug to save electricity" notification from waking your phone in the middle of the night.
Autowake power plugin - when enabled, this will prevent your phone from automatically waking up when you plug it into the charger or any other power source.
Autowake power unplug - when enabled, this will prevent your phone from automatically waking up when you pull out the USB cable.

{Download}
open this file with tasker to import it.

[what did you say? hearing aid? i don't need a hearing aid!] applies to certain recent samsung devices
this is an easily missed feature, but the Kzoom can help you test your hearing, and compensate for any hearing loss you're suffering from, just like a hearing aid would.
even if your hearing is considered good, it can still compensate for minor differences between your ears.
this feature can be activated through settings>call>personalize call sound>adapt sound
when you first visit this settings page it will guide you through a thorough "beep" hearing test to determine for each ear which frequencies you can and can't hear, and once done it will use this information to set up a 2nd equalizer that will correct music and phone-call sound for your ears.
this equalizer will be used when listening to music with a headset, and when making a phone-call with and without a headset.
you can use this together with samsung's "soundalive" equalizer, so there's no reason not to use it.

[what others have to say]
Root through Odin, provided by timduru

timduru has a solution for memory card madness that works much better, but requires root.

quickly wake to camera, found by dk206

apprentice teaching the master, he would like to point out some customization options samsung added for the settings screen.
i'd like to add to this that you can also bookmark some frequently used settings, which adds them to a new category at the top of your settings list.


if you have any tips for other Kzoom owners you can post them below and i'll add a link to them here.
 
Last edited:

timduru

Senior Member
Apr 13, 2011
2,878
18,021
[Memory card madness] applies to all kitkat devices with memory cards but no root.
kitkat has severely limited the micro SD access we have on our phones, our phone even blocks all workarounds.
here are some tricks to make it usable:

Yeah definitely not a good move.

To fix that you need to edit the /etc/permissions/platform.xml file and add external card writing permission to the media_rw group.
That way all apps can write anywhere to it.

or just replace it with this one:
http://downloads.timduru.org/android/kzoom/misc/platform.xml

then reboot.
 
Last edited:

apprentice

Senior Member
Apr 22, 2005
1,647
690
NORWICH, England
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3
Tabbed Settings

Not specific to the K Zoom as it was introduced on the Galaxy S5, but I read a lot of people complaining about the new device settings screen layout. Not a lot of people seem to realise that you can change how the settings screen looks and revert back to the tabbed screen we are so used to with Samsung devices:

On the device settings screen, tap the "3-Dot Menu" button and choose "View By"

.
 
Last edited:

thedicemaster

Senior Member
May 10, 2009
1,763
863
you need to press the camera and volume buttons at the exact same time.
it works best if you press the camera button halfway first, otherwise it's difficult to get the timing right.
 
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thedicemaster

Senior Member
May 10, 2009
1,763
863
updated my 1st post a bit.
the battery full autowake blocking works reliably, so i removed the "untested" warning.

i updated the tripod story a bit, i switched to a much better tripod mount called the "istabilizer mount xl"
a mount made specifically for the k zoom would've been better, but this is the best universal solution i could find.

i updated the root link so it now points to timduru's thread.

and i added a link apprentice's post.
 
Last edited:

zimmiton

Member
Aug 18, 2013
5
1
Help

Hi, I rooted my K Zoom recently and couldn't use screen mirroring now. can anyone find a fix for it?
 

mystroe

Member
Jun 7, 2012
10
0
London
Skype & Torch

Has anyone got skype video working on the Samsung galaxy K zoom?

Also has anyone got a Torch app that works on the Samasung Galaxy K Zoom?

Last! Why isn't there a dedicated Device section for the Galaxy K zoom on the site?
 

thedicemaster

Senior Member
May 10, 2009
1,763
863
any torch app that has a white-screen mode will work.
flash torch apps can't work because the k zoom has a xenon flash, which can only flash.
 

One Twelve

Senior Member
Oct 28, 2013
2,619
640
Remote View finder

As in control your k zoom camera with another device. i tried with a note 10.1 running 4.4.2.

Enable remote viewfinder on k zoom camera settings. On the note i went into wifi, and clicked wifi-direct.

K zoom says note 10.1 wants to connect which you allow and then it launches the viewfinder on the note screen. Simple as that.

focus, zoom and flash works. Its quite responsive ie lag is low and i walked 30 feet away and it still held the connection.

Only downside is remote viewfinder on k zoom only works in auto and no other mode :(

I don't know whether team viewer will get around this or not.
 
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mystroe

Member
Jun 7, 2012
10
0
London
Skype

Thanks for the replies.

Managed to get skype working on the phone (local video) the problem was with receiving the caller's video. It's a bit hit and miss.

Overall a great phone.

Having a problem now with grey bars appearing on photos - presuming it's the Samsung SD card which is 64 GB. Is it generally agreed to stick with a max of 32 GB?
 

MouZee

New member
Jan 12, 2008
2
0
Does anyone have to try "Manual Focus" on K-Zoom?

Sent from my SM-C101 using XDA Free mobile app
 

rahuladsule

Member
Oct 14, 2011
47
1
Pune
Hi guys.. So i have got this new phone.. the k zoom... (3G version) its model no. is SM-C111. i have rooted it successfully. now there are some things in this awesome phone which are annoying. like there is no notification led. So can anyone port the BLN MOD for this device so that we can have backlight notification like the galaxy s1. And please make a separate section for galaxy k zoom. please help @timduru @thedicemaster
 
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pakisan

Senior Member
Jan 30, 2012
219
10
With the help of fundamental @Albe95 (http://xdaforums.com/member.php?u=5403589 ). I was able to enable the multi-window of GalaxyS5 on Galaxy K Zoom.
In this zip https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/843622/multiwindow%20k%20zoom.zip there are the necessary files, placed in the correct folders. You just have to copy them and give their permission (644).
When you restart in the settings will be released on command to enable the multi-window.
Obviously need the root, the file is not flash from recovery.
In case of damage I take responsibility, pay attention.
Paki
 
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  • 5
    for now there's no dedicated Kzoom forum so this will have to do.
    I'd like to start a thread where we can discuss ways we can get the most out of our rootless camera phones.
    the discussed tips and tricks are for the Galaxy K Zoom, but some can be usable on other devices too.

    [Memory card madness] applies to all kitkat devices with memory cards but no root.
    kitkat has severely limited the micro SD access we have on our phones, our phone even blocks all workarounds.
    here are some tricks to make it usable:

    I recommend using FX file explorer with pro plugin, and Samsung's "my files" app to manage files.
    set "my files" to show hidden files, and delete the .nomedia file in /Android/data/ on your memory card
    in FX create a new .nomedia file in /Android/data/nextapp.fx/files on your sdcard which you can copy to data folders if you ever find game resources in your gallery app, or app/game sounds among your music.(you need to use "my files" to copy it)
    now create a new folder on your sdcard /Android/data/nextapp.fx/SDfiles and create a bookmark/shortcut to this in both file managers, this will be your personal folder which you can use for movies, music, wallpapers, etc.
    if there are any images, videos, or music files that don't show up in the media apps you can use the rescan media button on this folder in FX.
    in "my files" you should also bookmark /Android/data so you can easily find sdcard folders specific apps have access to.

    if you want to sync or edit files with an app you'll need to go through a few steps.
    use the apps view in FX to find the internal name of the app that needs access to the file/folder, this is usually something like this: com.developername.appname
    use "my files" to locate(or if necessary, create) a folder with that name on your sdcard at /Android/data
    now use "my files" to move any files you need to access with the app to that folder, and tell the app to look there for files.(this is not needed if the app uses the media database)
    using this method I got dropsync to sync my music to my memorycard, and let gameboid run and save gba games on my memorycard.

    edit: a little warning, if you move an app to the sdcard it no longer has access to it's own sdcard data folder anymore.

    [tripod? nopod!] applies to all phones(except S4 zoom)
    you may have noticed the Kzoom has a very sleek design for a camera phone.
    this is nice for a phone, but leaves little space for a tripod mount.

    luckily there's a universal solution: smartphone tripod mounts.
    several sites, sell carkit-like phone holders that have a tripod mount.
    using one of these you can still use a tripod with your Kzoom, although most of these holders will block the flash or part of the screen.
    I use the iStabilizer Mount XL.
    it's a perfect fit, and it's open at the center so you can still make use of the flash.

    [screen on, screen off] applies to all samsung phones
    samsung makes a lot of assumptions.
    like "if you plug something in, you must want the screen on"
    but you shouldn't just assume.
    if I plug in my headset i'll use my pebble or headset button to start the music, and I don't want to pull my phone out of my pocket for this.
    using tasker I created a set of profiles that let you disable several automatic wakes.
    unfortunately I can't prevent the wake, but these profiles will put your phone asleep the moment the screen turns on without your consent.
    the profiles include:
    Autowake blocker core - the part that does the blocking, don't disable this unless you want to disable the entire Autowake blocker.
    Autowake Headset - when enabled, this will prevent your phone from waking up when you plug in a headset. great for when you use a headset with buttons to listen to music a lot.
    Autowake Battery full - when enabled, this will prevent the "battery full, unplug to save electricity" notification from waking your phone in the middle of the night.
    Autowake power plugin - when enabled, this will prevent your phone from automatically waking up when you plug it into the charger or any other power source.
    Autowake power unplug - when enabled, this will prevent your phone from automatically waking up when you pull out the USB cable.

    {Download}
    open this file with tasker to import it.

    [what did you say? hearing aid? i don't need a hearing aid!] applies to certain recent samsung devices
    this is an easily missed feature, but the Kzoom can help you test your hearing, and compensate for any hearing loss you're suffering from, just like a hearing aid would.
    even if your hearing is considered good, it can still compensate for minor differences between your ears.
    this feature can be activated through settings>call>personalize call sound>adapt sound
    when you first visit this settings page it will guide you through a thorough "beep" hearing test to determine for each ear which frequencies you can and can't hear, and once done it will use this information to set up a 2nd equalizer that will correct music and phone-call sound for your ears.
    this equalizer will be used when listening to music with a headset, and when making a phone-call with and without a headset.
    you can use this together with samsung's "soundalive" equalizer, so there's no reason not to use it.

    [what others have to say]
    Root through Odin, provided by timduru

    timduru has a solution for memory card madness that works much better, but requires root.

    quickly wake to camera, found by dk206

    apprentice teaching the master, he would like to point out some customization options samsung added for the settings screen.
    i'd like to add to this that you can also bookmark some frequently used settings, which adds them to a new category at the top of your settings list.


    if you have any tips for other Kzoom owners you can post them below and i'll add a link to them here.
    4
    [Memory card madness] applies to all kitkat devices with memory cards but no root.
    kitkat has severely limited the micro SD access we have on our phones, our phone even blocks all workarounds.
    here are some tricks to make it usable:

    Yeah definitely not a good move.

    To fix that you need to edit the /etc/permissions/platform.xml file and add external card writing permission to the media_rw group.
    That way all apps can write anywhere to it.

    or just replace it with this one:
    http://downloads.timduru.org/android/kzoom/misc/platform.xml

    then reboot.
    3
    Instant Camera access from Lock state

    Hi Guys
    Pressing the vol+ up and Camera key together wakes the phone up into camera mode.
    This works even with screen lock protection on.

    Thanks

    Denny
    2
    With the help of fundamental @Albe95 (http://xdaforums.com/member.php?u=5403589 ). I was able to enable the multi-window of GalaxyS5 on Galaxy K Zoom.
    In this zip https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/843622/multiwindow%20k%20zoom.zip there are the necessary files, placed in the correct folders. You just have to copy them and give their permission (644).
    When you restart in the settings will be released on command to enable the multi-window.
    Obviously need the root, the file is not flash from recovery.
    In case of damage I take responsibility, pay attention.
    Paki
    1
    K Zooom.

    Had been using this phone 4 about 4 months. So far so good. Rooted > change a few system files > bricked (stuck at black screen after boot logo) > downloaded the stock rom > flash via odin > fixed > root again. hehe. enjoying. So here are few apps that wont brick your phone and definitely give more ZOOOOOM to your K zoom :-

    1) GMD geture control - there are a few good gestures that will enhance your user experience
    2) system app remover - get rid of bloatwares and make your phone even faster
    3) Wanam Xposed - some cosmetics for your phone
    4) Xposed Installler (http://repo.xposed.info/module/de.robv.android.xposed.installer) - more cosmetics
    5) adaway (https://f-droid.org/repository/browse/?fdid=org.adaway) - block ads

    *the ones i have not provided links can be downloaded from playstore

    As for my launchers, locksreen and widgets i am using Go launcher, go locker and go widgets (free version) by far better then Samsung's launcher and is also cleaner and faster.
    Anyway i am loving my phone more now. However i have tried a few apps for boot animation but it just failed. Don't wanna take any risks via file system changer method to try and change my boot animation as my phone had already half bricked once. If anyone has a good boot animation changer method do share and thanks in advance.

    Stock rom links - C115 (http://www.mrcrab.net/stockrom/sm-c115.html)
    - C111 (http://www.mrcrab.net/stockrom/sm-c111.html)

    like everyone i am also hoping that k zoom gets a thread.